Ghost Raised
by Kithrin
Summary: Genma dies during the Neko-ken and Ranma is adopted by a ghost alchemist, what could go wrong? More cross overs possible in later chapters. Not suspended
1. The Nekoken Goes Wrong, Very Wrong

Ghost Raised

Chapter 1: The Neko-ken Goes Wrong, Very Wrong.

Early in the morning, deep in the forests of Japan, close to where a fat fool was tying up a six year old boy, and covering him with fish sausages for the final time, a ghost girl was collecting ingredients of an herbal nature for an experiment.

'Physically' she had not changed over the many millennia that she had existed as a ghost. She still wore her Al-Revis school uniform, still had her purplish pink ribbons in her grey hair, and still held the same pink bear with a ribbon the same color as the ones in her hair around its throat. Her uniform consisted of an intricate blue, gold and white cape, a short white skirt with an inch thick band of blue an inch above the bottom, red collar, blue anklets framed by gold, blue, gold, and white loafers, and a gold and white blouse barely seen through the cape.

As she continued collecting ingredients in her mostly solid form, a loud scream sounded for a second before cutting off quite suddenly. A few minutes later, a young boy with his hair in a pigtail covered in fresh blood bounded into the clearing with the ghost on all fours. He looked around until he spotted the ghost and without warning lunged at the ghost.

the ghostly girl was so surprised that she didn't even think of dematerializing, and so was knocked down by the boy, who promptly curled up on her lap and fell asleep purring.

She shook her head, and feeling strangely maternal started to check the boy for injuries while her bear walked back to her from where it was thrown after the boy tackled her. His injury assessment puzzled her.

"A lot of what looks like cat scratches, but nowhere near enough to account for all the blood, and why is he acting like a cat?" she whispered to herself softly, careful not to wake the boy on her lap. "Where were the boy's parents to allow him to get into this situation? He seems a bit young to be this deep in the forest alone. I suppose I'll have to wait for him to wake."

As she settled down to wait for the mystery boy to wake, she started sorting through her bag of medicines that she keeps in case someone is injured near her. She picked up a bottle and frowned at the maker. The maker of that particular bottle was an old friend named Vayne who had died over ten thousand years in the past. Putting the bottle back in her bag she made a note to sort through her bag and remove any medicine too old to use and place the one's made by her friends on a shelf to remember them by. Digging through her bag again she found a bottle that she made five thousand years ago which she simply threw behind her. The bottle hit a tree and broke into a thousand pieces. The third time proved to be the charm as she pulled a heal jar that she made a few month ago out. By the label she could tell that it was not one of her experiments, but instead one that she made exactly the way Vayne had made the one she initially rejected. Setting the bottle aside she prepared to wait for the boy to awaken.

A few hours later the boy yawned and stretched, during which his left hand touched fabric. He realized something was wrong looked toward that direction, and saw a pretty girl nearly, from his point of view, three times his inconsiderable age. He blushed and pulled his hand back from her chest. "Sorry," he mumbled in an embarrassed voice as he got off of her lap. He then sat on the ground as the pain of his injuries caught up to him.

The girl smiled as she replied, "It was an accident, now you need to drink this before anything else." she then handed him the cure jar she had set aside for him.

He looked at the bottle suspiciously, and looked toward her. Upon seeing her smiling face he sighed and drank it. To his surprise his wounds instantly healed and the pain he was in ceased. "Wow, thanks lady, that felt great!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"You're welcome, now how did you get in covered in cat scratches, and blood?" she asked gently.

He flinched at the c-word before he responded, "Umm… pops was trying to teach me something called the Neko-ken, and I woke up here."

"That's odd, you were acting like a cat, complete with curling up on my lap and purring while sleeping." The ghost said speculatively. "Anyway, let's see if we can find your father shall we?"

She paused as she remembered the condition the boy was in when he arrived, and had a bad feeling in her ghostly gut. "on second thought why don't you stay here with my bear, and I'll check it out." She then stood up and started flouting off in the direction that the boy came from.

The boy was about to protest when he was shocked into silence by her flouting. By the time he regained his wits they were stolen again by the pink teddy bear climbing onto his lap.

The ghostly girl found the campsite in short order, and sadly shook her head at the scene in front of her. A man in a blood soaked Gi was laying next to a pit that had a shattered wooden cover. The man's throat looked like it had been torn out brutally by some sort of razor sharp claws. Inside the pit had the remains of dozens of cats, all brutally sliced to pieces.

She quickly and with great effort moved the man into the pit so that when she brought Ranma to the camp he wouldn't see the body. She would inform the police of what had transpired when she brings the boy to them. She saw the two packs and believed the smaller belonged to the boy. As a ghost she was unable to carry massive weights, and it was only through luck she managed to move the body, so she knew that he would have to reclaim his own stuff.

She quickly headed back to where she left the boy, and as she got close enough to him to be in sight started actually walking, or at least performing a reasonable facsimile of such. As soon as she arrived she saw the boy holding her bear, and trying his damnedest not to cry. With her expression soft she enveloped him in a hug and said gently, "it's ok to cry if you're sad."

"Poppa said real men don't cry," he replied with a sniffle.

"I don't know why, one of the strongest men I ever knew cried when necessary, and he was much older than you. You shouldn't be afraid to show your emotions. The man I knew laughed, cried, and got depressed just like everyone else, but in the end he had friends who helped him through the problems," she said softly but audibly to him.

He looked at her while digesting her words, and without warning turned in her arms, dropped the bear, enveloped her in a hug, and started crying. She could almost feel the dam within him burst as she held the crying boy. As her protective instincts flared once again she thought, After_ he settles down we should get to his camp and collect his stuff so that we can get to town and report the death of that man and see whether we can find this boy's parents._

Twenty minutes later the boy's sobs calmed down, and the girl asked, "What's your name?"

"Ranma Saotome," the boy replied softly.

"Well Ranma, My name is Pamela Ibis, and we should retrieve you stuff from your camp, and get you to town, so you can rest. I'm afraid that we will have to walk since I don't own a vehicle," Pamela said gently.

"What about pops?" Ranma asked, fearful of losing the one constant he still had.

"When we get to town we can drop by the police station, and fill in a missing persons report and let them find him for you, k? What did he look like and do you know his name?" Pamela asked with a sinking feeling that had nothing to do with the fact that her knees were sunk halfway into the ground.

"His name was Genma, and he wore clothes like mine, a cloth on his head, and glasses," the pigtailed boy responded.

Her sinking feeling confirmed Pamela kept her voice as light as possible, while she spoke to the boy in her arms, "Well we should hurry and collect your stuff from your camp, so we can head to the police station and ask them to find your father."

The small boy nodded and broke the hug he was in. they both stood up, and without a word, Pamela led the way to his camp, Ranma following behind still carrying her bear.

Upon arriving at the camp and telling Ranma to collect his stuff, the ghost girl was surprised to find him packing the larger pack with the tent, most of the cooking equipment, and some manuals. As Ranma packed her eye caught sight of a bloodstained book on the ground, and as she moved over to it she saw that the title of the book was Neko-ken. Since Ranma was still packing, and she remembered him saying he was being trained in it, she started to read it. As she read the book a ghostly battle aura surrounded her. As she finished with the warnings on the last page she decided that Genma's death was too quick, but she calmed down quickly as she realized that there was nothing she could do about this now.

She noticed Ranma standing nearby with a heavy pack on his back. He was only showing a slight effort keeping it on his back. "You can leave some of that behind for later if you want," Pamela said.

How such a young boy could give such a 'are you kidding' look was beyond the grey haired ghost's understanding, but he also responded verbally, "Pops would kill me if I lost this stuff."

Pamela sighed, and said, "Fine, if you are ready we'll head to town."

At seeing his nod they started walking out the forest together, although he was a bit weirded out at times at the fact that some of the branches that should have caught on her cape didn't.

Eight hours later, which ironically was due to Pamela being slower than Ranma, Pamela was 'sitting' on a bench in the police station. She had already given her report, and the officers were currently asking Ranma some questions.

"Miss Ibis?" The police chief said, as he exited from the room in which Ranma was being questioned.

"Yes? How is Ranma?" she replied questioningly.

"He's fine, but his records don't seem to indicate who his mother is, and with how his father treated him whenever he asked he believes that she is dead. Thanks to your information about his father, we now consider him an orphan, and will be soon transferred to an orphanage. The only good thing in this mess is we can say case closed to hundreds of petty crimes," the chief replied sadly.

"What if I adopt him myself? I have become fond of him during the time we spent together today, and I can provide him with a good home, and he needn't go to an orphanage to wait for the slight chance someone might choose to adopt," Pamela asked quickly.

"Possible, but let's check your file first," the chief said as he moved to his desk and started typing on his computer. Pamela moved over with him, still acting like she was walking, and so she heard him mumble, "Income OK, place of residence OK, no criminal record, family friend of the emperor good for you, and finally age… what the hell? That can't be right." The chief moved to the filing cabinet nearby to look through the hard copy records. After much searching he found the record labeled 'Ibis Pamela'. He found the file with an attached faded photograph showing the girl standing by his desk. The file was signed by the previous chief who retired twenty years ago. Shaking his head he said to Pamela, "You seem to meet all of the requirements, but are you sure you wish to adopt such a young boy Miss Ibis?"

"Yes, I already seem to have a slight rapport with him, and I think I could be a good mother to him," she replied with conviction.

"Fine, I'll get the paperwork, and tell the boy what happened to his father and what will happen to him." The man moved quickly and smoothly to another set of cabinets, and with a few minutes of searching dug out a set of forms which he immediately set on a nearby table that was put in for the express purpose of giving people a place to fill out forms. He then walked out the door leaving a female police officer to look after the civilian while she did the paperwork. The officer looked on with a sense of approval at the woman filling out the forms.

A good twenty minutes later, as Pamela was finishing up the last form, the chief came back with the boy, who upon seeing Pamela rushed over and gave her a tearful hug.

"I'm sorry about your father," she said, while thankful she left herself mostly solid for him. The chief saw that the paperwork was finished picked it up and moved to his desk. As he started entering the data for the new adoptee he found some inconsistencies, such as the massive debt that obviously could not be the fault of such a young boy. Since much of the debt was for sake he was easily and with a clear continence able to move the debt markers from the boy's file to the fathers. He also made note to contact some of the names connected to the file to let them know that Ranma Saotome was no longer around. After he finished the computer work he called a judge to finalize the adoption, and soon a fat jovial man in a judge's robe came out of the building next door. He moved quickly to the chief's side and picked up the papers. He switched to his game face upon touching the papers and with a look of utmost scrutiny looked them over, and looked at the boy that was now sleeping on the ghost's lap. Recognizing both who she was and what she was the judge thought for a bit. Seeing no reason to actually decline the adoption since she had, through her friendship with the emperors family, a legal identity despite her being, dead he signed his approval.

The chief noticed the approval, and turned toward the ghostly girl holding the very living boy on her lap. "Will you be requiring a ride Miss Ibis? We can have some officers carry him and his pack for you," he asked politely.

"Yes please, I live on the other side of town, and I don't have the ability to carry even him alone out to the parking lot, much less him and his pack," she replied.

The chief nodded and spoke on an intercom. Shortly thereafter two officers came to help Pamela move Ranma and his pack to a waiting squad car. The number soon increased to three as it was soon discovered that Ranma's pack took two officers to move without over straining themselves. The three officers and Pamela Moved to the squad car and after a quick trek through the darkening streets stopped in front of a large house. The house looked like a fusion of multiple styles a modern western style, traditional Japanese, and a style that only one known person can currently recognize a style similar to the campus of the alchemy school Al-Revis. Upon entering the house the officers set he pack by the door, and laid the boy on a soft brown sofa.

Pamela turned toward the officers after they finished moving the boy and pack and asked, "Would you like some tea?"

One of them was about to answer when the radio on their hips came to life, "To all officers four eleven in progress on the corner of…"

"Sorry Miss, but duty calls," one of the three police officers said as they dashed for their shoes. After quickly tying them on they ran out the door leaving the new family alone in the house.

Pamela watched them leave, before turning toward her new son with a smile, which quickly faded as she noticed him shivering. Since he was asleep she flouted through a wall and into a cupboard, and grabbed a blanket. Coming back with the blanket in the same manner she quickly tucked him in. her bear, which he had stubbornly refused to let go of in his sleep was also covered.

She was about to grab a book on alchemy and her notebook to start on some theoretical research projects, and to create a lesson plan to pass her skills on, when her eye caught a shelf unit filled with alchemy supplies, research products, and a few samples of her work in alchemy.

"I suppose I should sort that out tomorrow after he wakes up, to remove any dangerous materials until he is responsible enough to work with them," she said to herself softly before retrieving the books that she wanted.

She settled down, reclining like a normal person in a chair. She knew she would have to explain what she was later to her new family, but she figured that could wait until later. As she waited for Ranma to wake up she worked through the books, taking notes in the notebook. She was making new experimental synthesis recipes, and her current record of success? Twenty percent.

As eight am the next morning rolled around the gray haired ghost noticed that Ranma was stirring. She decided to start a large breakfast for him because he apparently hadn't eaten much the day previous she made a lot more than she thought he would need. Her cooking, while never approaching the level of professional chef was called fairly decent by her guests as long as she followed the recipe directly. The fact that she got guests, sometimes unexpected was the reason why she keeps her fridge fully stocked. The breakfast she started cooking is not the traditional Japanese breakfast. The breakfast would not look out of place in a western setting. It consisted of pancakes, sausage, and eggs. As she set the table with the cooked breakfast she heard a loud crash from the living room.

Moving quickly to that room she arrived in time to see a fragile ceramic container of liquid fall on the young boy that had tripped on the television cord and fell against the shelf of alchemy supplies. That might not have been bad, but that particular container was of a water sample that she had acquired a thousand years ago in China and always meant to research how it acquired the special properties. The thin ceramic shattered easily splashing him with the contents.

Pamela could only say two words, "uh oh…"

Chapter end

AN: My first cliff hanger aren't I evil? And can you guess what that water was?


	2. Meeting the Mother

Ghost Raised:

Chapter 2: Meeting the Mother

AN: One thing if you want a response to a review sign in, I respond to most meaningful reviews.

ten years later three figures moved down a street in Nerima, two walked and one flouted along at ground level, trying to make it seem like she was walking. The first walker was a sixteen year old boy dressed in clothes of similar design of that found over seven thousand years ago in a certain alchemy academy his mom used to attend, but instead of being colored blue, gold, and white, it was red, silver, and black. The second walker looked like a well built teenage girl with blue hair wearing a maid outfit; she was walking behind the male with a slightly amused look on her pretty face. The floater looked like a girl about the other girl's age, but since she wasn't exactly alive her actual age was much older, but still was carrying a teddy bear..

"What are we doing here again mom?" the boy asked in a exasperated voice. "I have an experiment I want to do."

The ghost sighed before she responded, "I have recently learned your birth mother lives here, and I found an agreement between your birth father and a Soun Tendo. I think it would be good for you to meet your birth mother, and I plan on telling your father's friend that your father died, and I will not force _that_ agreement on you. Don't worry no matter how the meeting with your mother goes I will always consider you my son."

"Or your daughter," the blue haired maid said triggering said son's transformation by creating a ball of water and hitting him with it.

The neo-girl's clothes, due to their unique make, transformed with him, as they are made to do automatically whenever he changes. In cut and style they now resembled her mother, Pamela's; the difference was that the coloring of Ranma's clothes remained the same as her male form's clothes. Another difference was that the pigtail Ranma sported with his hair went from being tied with string to being tied with a dark pink and black velvet ribbon.

"WHIM!" the neo-girl yelled as she shook her head. She was now floating a few inches off the ground. "Change me back NOW!"

"Okay, Mistress Ranma," Whim said, and combined her power over water, with the link between the two, to change her back to male.

Pamela smiled at the antics of the two. She was glad that she found the water mana five years ago for her son. The bond between the two helped with controlling Ranma's curse, and the antics between the two is always amusing, and gave her plenty of opportunities to use her prerogative as a mother to embarrass her son. "Now Ranma, be nice to Whim, and we should hurry Nodoka is expecting us within the hour," she said.

"Okay, mom."

"Yes miss."

Just then a small form flew down to land on Ranma's shoulder, it looked like an iridescent purple, foot and a half long western dragon, and after it got settled it said, "Ranma the house you sent me to find is just down the block."

"Thanks Luminus, can you wait across the street from it? I don't _think_ we'll need to fight, but I feel more comfortable if you're close," Ranma replied.

"Fine, but I'm coming for you if I think you need help," Luminus said.

"Wouldn't want anything less," the pigtailed boy responded.

Pamela made a coughing sound to get everyone's attention. "We need to get going."

The group nodded and started walking toward the location Luminus had indicated, while the mini dragon hid himself on the roof of the house across from the target compound.

As the group neared the house Ranma took a deep breath, and moved next to Pamela so that they would both be at the door when they met his birth mother. After a quick glance at where Luminus was hiding he raised his hand and knocked on the door.

Within seconds the door flew open, and the Pretty woman that opened it yelled, "Ranma, my son!" and proceeded to give him a crushing hug.

Pamela looked at Ranma in the hug and spoke up, "Excuse me, but you might want to let Ranma go before he departs the land of the living."

Nodoka paused in her hug and looked at Ranma's face which had gone from purple, to blue, to a curious purple and blue plaid color. Letting her son go she said, "Sorry, It's just I haven't seen him in so long." She turned toward the unknown to her ghost, and asked, "And who are you, my manly son's girlfriend?"

"No, I'm his adopted mother, and before you ask I'm a lot older than I look, and I can understand you missing him," Pamela responded in a fairly amused voice, but running through her head was the thought, _Manly?_

"Adopted mother? How were you able to adopt him when I'm around, and where's my husband?" Nodoka asked angrily.

"May we come in? It's a long story," Pamela asked politely. She then remembered the third member of the party, and decided to introduce her, "and before I forget this is Whim your son's maid."

"Of course," Nodoka replied and led the way back in the house. Ranma who had recovered looked at his adoptive mother with a slight look of fear on his face before she nodded, and led the way into the house.

After the three visitors came into the Saotome dining room Nodoka gestured for them to take a seat at the table while she went for tea. Whim moved to help as this was one of her normal duties, but was waved away by the parent who wanted some privacy while preparing the tea to get her thoughts in order, unsurprisingly her thought kept coming to a certain contract that was drawn up by her husband, and signed by all three, at that time, Saotomes. _I wonder if he's been manly with that pretty maid of his. Surely they have been. I might soon be a grandmother! Of course a girl like that is completely unsuited for a wife, but as a mistress…_ she thought giddily. Her thoughts continued in a more serious vain with, _if he isn't manly I might have to enforce the contract…_

Putting the thoughts running through her head out of her mind, she set up the tray with the now hot tea, and snacks. Returning to the dining room she was about to set up four cups when Pamela said, "None for me, thank you."

A little shook up by the girl's refusal to accept the traditional Japanese hospitality Nodoka poured three cups with the green tea and passed them out to Whim, Ranma, and herself. "So," she said, "How did you come to adopt my son, where is my husband, and where do we go from here?"

"Your husband died when he was trying to teach Ranma this technique," Pamela said as she pulled the blood stained neko-ken manual out of her pouch. She continued talking as Nodoka picked it up and started to flip through it. "As to my adopting Ranma ten years ago, the police records didn't list a mother, and I had gotten attached to him in the hours after I found him. Finally where do we go from here? That depends both on what happens in this meeting and what my son wants."

Nodoka was about to say something about letting Ranma contributing to that kind if decision when she got to the part of the training manual that talked about severe psychological damage being inflicted to the trainee. The training itself she thought was cruel, but she had agreed to let her husband train Ranma as he saw fit. "Did he really…" she started.

"I'm afraid so, I saw and smelled the pit. Ranma still has nightmares despite ten years of therapy, and hates cats unconditionally," Pamela said sadly while shaking her head slowly, and Ranma flinched as the word cat was spoken.

"He loves cats though," Nodoka said, and watched in shock as Ranma once again flinched.

"If you say so," Ranma said. "I just got to the point where I don't run away screaming at the mere site of a kitten last year."

"Being afraid of such a thing isn't very manly," Nodoka said condescendingly.

"You try and go through that experience when you were six and remain unaffected," Ranma growled out. "Besides what is with all this manliness crap?"

"Don't cuss Ranma, but Nodoka you have said the word 'manly' twice in the last hour or so, why is that?" Pamela asked curiously.

"That is because, when Genma and Ranma left they signed this," the auburn haired woman said as she removed a scroll from her kimono.

Ranma took the scroll and after unfurling it read it. The scroll said that if Ranma's not a man among men then they both would commit seppuku. It was signed by Genma, a child's handprint and Nodoka as a witness.

Pamela produced a ghostly battle aura as she read over Ranma's shoulder. "You would expect _**MY**_ son to kill himself because of a contract signed BEFORE HE WAS SIX if he doesn't meet your standards of manliness?" she said almost wrathfully.

"Yes, it's a matter of family honor," Nodoka said calmly, as she didn't see what the other woman's problem with it was.

"Saotome so called honor, not Ibis honor. It's fortunate that Ranma's an Ibis isn't it?" Pamela said.

"Only until he's transferred back to his proper clan," Nodoka retorted.

"If he wants," said a smiling Pamela.

"What he wants doesn't matter, he is only a child," Nodoka said with an air of superiority.

"Nodoka," Ranma said in a tightly controlled voice learned from his father figure.

The woman addressed stilled as she heard Ranma address her in such a manner. "Yes, Ranma?"

"I should tell you I acquired a curse early in life. Whim, show her," Ranma ordered.

"Yes master," Whim said with a smile, and threw a ball of water at Ranma, drenching him, and turning him to her.

"How?" Nodoka asked stunned at seeing her son turn into a gray haired girl that looked like a cross between her and her sons adopted mother sitting across from her.

"Jusenkyo water that I didn't have a chance to put away before he moved in," Pamela said. "Hot water or her asking Whim reverses the change. No known cure exists I'm afraid."

"Why did you show me this?" Nodoka asked shakily.

"Because I already decided that I will keep the Ibis name, and I wished to see whether you will be apart of my life in anyway. In order to do that you would have to accept this part of me as well," Ranma explained.

"This is unacceptable; you will change back, and wear something male. You had better prove your masculinity through actions, as I'm sure you did with your maid," Nodoka said.

"Oh no, I'm afraid that wouldn't be allowed," Whim said.

"Are you saying my son isn't manly enough to bend some rules," Nodoka hissed as she angrily gripped her ever present katana. She didn't notice Ranma getting angry himself.

"These rules can't be broken, sorry," Whim said.

'_Whim change me back,' _Ranma sent at Whim telepathically. He then sent to Luminus, _'Get closer I think I might need you.'_

'_Yes mistress,' _Whim replied

'_About time you called for me,' _Luminus replied.

As Ranma changed back Nodoka drew her katana and turned toward Ranma, and said, "You have violated the contract, so prepare for seppuku."

"No," he responded angrily.

"So, I will have to force you to go through it myself!" Nodoka exclaimed.

'_Now Luminus,' _Ranma sent.

A crash echoed through the house as the small dragon broke through the window. The appearance of the dragon stopped the swordswoman in her tracks. Shaking her head she said, "what is that?"

"Luminus Grave, my partner," Ranma said. he then commanded, "Luminus, are you ready?"

"Ready," Luminus replied before flying to Ranma. In a flash of light his neck turned into the hilt of a sword, his wings, the hand guard, and his foot long tail, the sharp serrated blade of a sword. His entire body hardened until it resembled high quality steel.

Ranma effortlessly caught the dragon turned sword, and moved into an expert sword fighter stance.

Nodoka narrowed her eyes at Ranma, and demanded, "How dare you disobey me?"

"Simple, crazy lady attacks me with sword, I defend myself. Whim call the police," Ranma responded.

Whim immediately went to do so, but Nodoka attacked before she could finish dialing. With a moderately skilled overhead slash at Ranma. Ranma blocked it, and this is where Nodoka made a mistake by trying to overpower Ranma. The mistake was slightly understandable considering that she was used to fighting boken to boken, or katana to katana, neither of which have cross guards that are anything but a flat disk of metal. The cross guard of Ranma's dragon sword on the other hand was shaped to be able to catch blades, and as the katana slid into the gap between the blade and guard Ranma twisted his blade with all his might. The katana was put under stresses it wasn't designed to be put under. This might not have made much of a difference with the high quality sword, but the blade was being rapidly heated due to the nature of the being whom composed the sword and cooled by Ranma drawing upon whim's power. This made the metal brittle, and the blade snapped less than two inches from the hilt.

"The Saotome honor blade!" Nodoka said shocked.

Police sirens sounded outside the building, and so, Ranma said, "We will now take our leave and speak to the police. There is obviously something wrong with you to invite someone into your home and try to kill them. With any luck we will not meet again Nodoka." With that comment Ranma walked out the door leaving a woman who had a feeling that she had made a horrible mistake to fall to her knees near the broken blade of her sword.

Minutes later the some police officers came through the door to arrest the woman, and one caught site of the contract on the table, picking up the document in plane site her eyes widened in horror at the contents before taking up her radio, "Chief, you might want to change that charge to premeditated attempted murder, I found a contract signed a bit over ten years ago stating she would force her son, who apparently wasn't old enough to read or write to commit seppuku if the conditions were not met… yes sir I'll bring it along."

The other officers had hand cuffed the woman, who was the last person that held the clan name, and took the remains of the sword for evidence.

The woman who found the contract sighed, and said, "And to think, I transferred to Nerima to get AWAY from the weirdness of the Ibis family…"

Meanwhile the three people who had just finished giving their statements were heading to their new home that they set up in Nerima so that the two parental figures could do the job that they had been hired for by the emperor, and that they couldn't tell their son about until it was over. Ranma was thinking about how much his life would have probably been different if it wasn't for the mix-up that allowed him to be adopted. He smiled as they approached their new house and decided he liked this life better... just before it rained causing a gender shift, and amended in his mind, except for the curse…

End Chapter 2.


	3. Welcome to the Nut House

Ghost Raised

Chapter 3: Welcome to the Nut House

AN: Editing of story, this chapter has changed in some ways.

AN: to those who read the last chapter immediately after it was posted, I forwarded the time-line in that chapter. Ranma's sixteen, not fourteen.

"Ranma get up, or you'll be late for school," shouted a middle aged stern looking man with long blond hair, glasses and wearing clothes that resembled Ranma's except in blue,gold and white who was pounding on Ranma's bedroom door.

"Okay dad, I'm coming," groaned Ranma's from within the room.

The man nodded, and headed back down stairs to where Pamela and Whim was preparing breakfast for the human members of the household. "You know we really need to teach him to get up with his alarm," he said.

"We've been trying for years Roxis, almost ever since you were catapulted into the future by one of your projects Vayne screwed up. You're just lucky I was around to use my contacts to set you up with an ID," Pamela reminded her 'husband'.

He chuckled back as he heard a now fully dressed Ranma walk down the stairs carrying his school bag. His bag was a marvel of alchemy it had a built in subspace pocket that Ranma had supplied with some of the results of his synthesis's, his school books, a few thermoses of hot and cold water in-case Whim wasn't around to change him, and his research books. _That guy I saw yesterday rubbed me the wrong way, best be prepared,_ he thought. "Morning, everybody. I'm set for school, how about you Whim?"

"I'm ready master, but what about the person we saw peeking in the Principal's office?" Whim asked.

"I'll handle him, and if need be I'll have yours and Luminus's help if he's a problem," Ranma responded.

"Now Ranma, do you think it prudent…" Roxis began, but was interrupted as Luminus winged in the room.

"Where Ranma goes, I go," Luminus said with conviction.

Roxis rubbed his temples, and said, "Fine but stay out of sight unless you're needed, knowing my son he already stocked enough flames, terraflames, bomb ices, longbomb ices, thunder rods, and lightning rods to take on an army. No need to make his schoolmates think he's carrying monsters around too, and Ranma try to keep the destruction to a minimum." Ranma Blushed upon hearing his father guess what he had brought along before nodding.

"Agreed," Luminus simply replied.

Soon breakfast was ready, and the two human members of the household, and the mini-dragon companion ate fairly quickly so that they could start the investigation or get to school.

As the young man and his mana maid started walking down the street toward their new school, Luminus flew high enough above them that he 'might' be mistaken for a bird. On the way to school a short old woman washing the sidewalk with a ladle, splashed Ranma. The now female Ranma grumbled under his breath at changing before school, but continued on his way, deciding to walk instead of float to hid the 'extras' that came with the new form.

"Mistress do you want me to change you back?" Whim asked.

"No, I'm fine. No need for you to waste your power like that, considering that this is as much me as my birth form. The plan the principle, my parents, and I came up with means the whole school will know of my condition soon anyway," Ranma replied.

"I see," Whim said, as she remembered the plan that was discussed when they were both signed up for school.

"Good, because we're here," the semi-ghost girl commented.

As they approached the gates they heard a stuck up voice shout from behind the wall, "Today, we are getting two more beauties to our fair institution, and I hereby declare that the rules for dating the gray haired beauty is the same as for Akane! Defeat her for a date! And as for the blue haired maid she will serve whoever defeats her!"

Whim looked horrified at the proclamation, while Ranma was producing a ghostly battle aura, and placing a hand in her bag. As they approached the gate twenty to thirty boys at the gate, some of which wielded sports implements, spotted them. The boys all charged screaming "Date me!" or "Serve me!"

Ranma's eyes narrowed, as she started pulling flames out of her bag and throwing them at the approaching hoard. Fiery explosions ripped through the hoard scorching them with flames, and breaking bones due to the concussive forces, when the explosions died down the number of people who could fight in the hoard had been reduced to nearly a quarter. The hoard stopped in their tracks as Ranma once again reached in her bag to pull out more, and said, "Those were the weakest type I have, if _any_ of you try this shit again, on me OR my maid, I won't hesitate to use my stronger bombs on you, do you understand me?"

The hoard nodded almost at once and stared to pick up their comrades who were hurt worse in less than ten seconds than their normal target does in five minutes. As this was happening a boy in blue samurai clothes welding a bokken stepped from behind a tree to say, in the same voice that started the boys attacking Ranma, and Whim, "So you realize that…"

Ranma interrupted him by saying, "You're the asshole that started this? Yes. Now take THIS!" Ranma then pulled a thunder rod out and threw it at the boy, causing a massive lighting strike to hit him dead on, knocking him unconscious with second and third degree electrical burns.

"Let's get inside Whim," Ranma said as he turned toward the front door and started walking.

Whim was about to protest that the boy might need medical attention when she remembered the lustful expression on the boys that were going after her, kept her mouth shut, and followed Ranma into the school, thankful that her current master/mistress wasn't the abusive type like Miss Lilly was.

Meanwhile in a classroom overlooking the school yard a teenage girl with short brown hair was making a killing collecting on bets. Nobody thought that the boy in blue and his hoard of perverts would be defeated by a newcomer, and in such a fashion.

As the two newcomers to the school moved into the school a midnight blue haired girl ran up to the school screaming her battle cry, "I HATE BOYS!" only to find the front of the school looking like a warzone complete with craters, moaning bodies, and scorch marks. A quarter of her normal opponents were helping the rest to the nurse's office, and the boy that started the morning fight unconscious and burnt. She moved into the school wondering what happened.

As she approached her classroom she noticed two girls waiting outside the door waiting to be introduced to the class. Giving the two a smile she entered into the classroom.

The teacher arrived on time and took attendance. After attendance was taken he said, "We have two new students today please come in, and introduce yourselves."

Ranma and Whim walked in, and the males in the class that was not part of the hoard drooled at the two pretty girls who had entered the room.

"I'm Whim Yūrei, maid to Ranma Ibis. Pleased to meet you," Whim said. The boys in the class groaned that she was apparently working for someone already, and possibly more to that person.

"I'm Ranma ibis, pleased to meet you," Ranma said. The boys in the class perked up at seeing that the beautiful maid was the servant of another pretty girl, almost like a two for one deal is what they thought.

"Now Ranma you have something to tell and show the class, don't you?" the teacher asked, fully aware of what was about to be shown.

"Yes, when I was six I gained a magic water based curse. Cold water activates it, and hot water deactivates the curse. I presently am in my cursed form, but with the application of hot water…" at this point Ranma stopped talking and took a hot water thermos out of her bag, and used it to change back. "I change back to my male form. Whim has also somehow gained a limited ability to control my change. One thing I must make perfectly clear, I do not like guys in the dating way when I'm a girl."

To say the class was shocked was an understatement, the girl, with girl's clothes turned into a guy with guy's clothes. The boys were now depressed that one of the cute girls was a guy, and the other one serves the new guy. The Girls? They were confused but the story of what was done to the hoard, and Kuno had started to spread, so they kept their peace. Many of them were actually pleased that he was honest from day one.

"Now the principle has told me how this will be tentatively handled for bathrooms and gym showers, for bathrooms he will go to the bathroom for whichever sex he or she is at the time. For gym showers the principles has decided on one of two options, and which one is used ultimately will decide on what you girls decide. The two options are for Ranma to participate, and shower in cold water with the girls by changing either before or after gym, OR to use the faculty showers. The reason why the boy's shower wasn't considered is how the boys have been acting since Kuno made his speech shows they can't be trusted in this situation. Ranma and I will step out for a few minutes as you vote, drop the papers with your preference at my desk, and I'll tally them up," the teacher explained.

As the two walked out of the room a furious discussion arose, between the female students, one particular loud and angry voice kept shouting out that it won't be allowed, and interrupting anyone who said something different, couple of quieter voices that still carried through the door discussing the impressive points of the new student, and a few wanted him as protection from peepers. As the argument wound down Whim stepped through the door, and told the teacher that the voting was done.

The three went back into the classroom, and the teacher indicated that Ranma should sit by the student he identified as Akane Tendo. Ranma quickly sat in his assigned seat next to the fuming girl, as the teacher started counting the votes. The results of the vote were surprising in that one pile had one piece of paper, and the other had the rest. "Well," the teacher started, "the vote is close, although many of them say that perhaps later it can be changed, Ranma showers in the teachers locker room."

"Pervert!" an angry Akane yells as she picks up a desk to smash Ranma with, before she could hit him with it however he takes out something blue from his bag and throws it at her, as the object hits it encapsulates her lower body in ice, and a second one freezes her hands to the desk, preventing her from throwing it at him after he moves out of her swing range.

"Cool off, your fellow girls decided that this was how it will be, so don't blame me," Ranma said defensively.

The girls were impressed even more by his restraint in dealing with her threat. The teacher was as well, but only said, "Miss Tendo, after you defrost, buckets hall."

"B-b-but, h-h-he, a-a-tack-k-ked m-me!" she protested.

"He defended himself from getting hit, YOU attacked HIM!" The teacher retorted, before starting his lesson, and ending the discussion.

She glared at Ranma who saw that, and reached into his bag and removed a larger blue bomb and set it on his desk away from the icy girl, at that moment Kuno blew through the door, and Ranma chucked the larger blue object at him with a sigh. The long ice bomb hit Kuno head on and created a Kunosicle in the middle of the classroom door. The teacher sighed and said, "Ranma remove Kuno from the door, and go stand in the hall."

"Yes sensei," Ranma replied before he got up and started pushing the Kunosicle out of the doorway and down the hall. As Ranma reached a window overlooking the pool, Ranma pushed Kuno out of it, turning the Kunosicle into a Kunoburg. Taking out a couple more long ice bombs he dropped them into the pool freezing it solid with the Kunoburg embedded up to the below the armpits, and thought, _I hope that keeps him out of my hair for a while._

He then got the required buckets and stood beside the door. Akane still a bit blue from cold walked out and took her position. "It's your fault you know," she said.

Ranma just ignored her as he was chatting about the morning with Luminus through their mental link. He was surprised to learn that some of the girls were after him, some after his girl form, and some want both parts of him. _I wonder what they will think if I tell them that I'm engaged._ _Wait Tendo? Engagement? SHE'S what my Genma wanted me engaged to? I'm glad mom and I are going over there today to tell them it's off, besides Moka and Mizore seem a lot nicer in the letters we started writing when we were told of our engagements, _ Ranma thought.

Suddenly Ranma was splashed by a bucket full of water that snapped him out of his, now her thoughts. Ranma looked up to see the scowling face of Akane. "What did you do that for," Ranma asked angrily.

"I've been TRYING to talk to you for the last five minutes," Akane said with equal heat.

"Did it ever occur to you I might not WANT to talk to someone, who was going to bash my head in with a desk, over something her classmates decided?" Ranma asked coldly, dropping a bucket so one of her hands could stray into her bag.

"You got that curse just so you could be perverted! And it was probably your idea to shower with the girls as well!" Akane shouted.

"Actually it was the principles, I showed him my curse when I got here and suggested the teachers locker room, and the curse was an accident from when I moved into mom's house when that fat bastard Genma Saotome died! Now shut up!" Ranma then leaned against the wall and glared at the angry girl still holding a bucket in one hand, and a longice bomb that she removed from her bag in her other. She was careful so as to not phase through the wall.

Akane saw the bomb, and wisely shut up so as not to end up like Kuno. That reminded her of the fact that Ranma had gotten rid of him, but upon seeing the glare didn't ask what happened.

At the end of the first period the teacher told them to reenter the classroom for the rest of the day's classes. The day passes without incident, as most of the boys and Akane, had learned not to bother the transgendered alchemist, although the entire student body had a good laugh at lunch when they found Kuno cursing his head off at being trapped in a giant block of ice from the armpits down.

This lasted until before gym, the final class of the day. The school had decided that Ranma would participate half the time as a boy, half as a girl, with the exception of sports that involve water such as swimming. The sport for the day was baseball for the boys, softball for the girls, and currently both sides were arguing about which group Ranma would be in first. The boys, who had noticed the female attention Ranma was getting wanted him in their group first so that they could impress on him not to take all the girls, while the girls wanted to be closer to Ranma. Akane complicated the matters by yelling that Ranma shouldn't be with the girls at all to which the boys agreed. The coach, who was losing patience, and Ranma already dressed for gym, discussed it, and decided that since she was already a girl that the first class might as well be with the girls.

"Okay, Stop arguing and get dressed for gym, Ranma will be with the girls today," the coach yelled in a loud voice.

The argument ceased, and with only a few protests (mostly from Akane,) moved to their respective locker rooms. Ranma on the other hand went to his new locker room

The class went normally, once Akane was told to sit out because she was constantly trying to pitch baseballs at Ranma so that she would be hit. Ranma's physical condition while not as great as some of the others in the ward, was still quite a bit above average so she managed to score two homeruns in her five times up to bat.

As Ranma was returning to the locker room to shower and change, two boys came up to her. One of them asked, "Ranma, we need to ads a favor of you, since you're a guy we can ask this right? We want you to take pictures of the girls while getting changed."

Ranma glared at the boys before letting her displeasure known. Two swift kicks later the two boys were clutching their groins in pain, and Ranma was continuing her way into the locker room.

Two girls saw this, one was a informant to the local information broker, and the other had hearts in her eyes at how Ranma refused the perverts. She was anxious to spread the news that Ranma was not going to betray their trust.

In the girls locker room, many of the girls were badgering poor Whim for information on Ranma, especially the bisexual girls. The mana quickly cleaned up in the normal human manner even though she really didn't need to and ran out the door to avoid the badgering.

Ranma on the other hand had cleaned up quickly for another reason, the principle had asked to see him. the meeting was short, and to the point, the principle wanted Ranma to minimize his bomb usage. this morning he was willing to excuse because he, then a she, was hopelessly outnumbered, but asked that he not use them excessively unless in smiler circumstances.

After school Ranma moved out of the school at a rapid pace. He saw his mother Pamela at the entrance to the school with his father Roxis. "MOM! DAD!" Ranma shouted as he jogged to meet them. Whim was following behind him at a more sedate pace.

"Hello Ranma how was school?" Pamela asked.

"It's a nuthouse, first this crazy guy named Tatewaki Kuno made an announcement that my female form would date anyone that beat me, and that Whim would serve the one that beat her. Then the girls had a vote about which of the principles options to choose and all but one chose to have me in there locker room to shower female. That one tried to hit me with a desk because she disagreed with the options. I do not think it a coincidence that her last name is Tendo either," Ranma replied.

Pamela looked at Roxis and noted that he had noticed the relevant information as well. She then turned toward Ranma, and said, "We should get going to the Tendo's to inform them that the engagements off, so that they won't expect Genma to arrive."

The quartet walked in the direction of the Tendo Dojo. Twenty minutes later they arrived at the fairly large compound and rang the bell. A Pretty young woman with long brown hair answered the door, and asked "Hello, can I help you?"

"Yes, I need to speak to a Soun Tendo," Roxis replied.

"Oh, father is in the dining room, please come this way," the young woman replied, as she led the quartet into the house. As they arrived in the room the woman spoke again, "Father Guests."

We recently moved into the area, and remembered something that was in my adopted son's original father's pack," Pamela said as she removed a scroll from her pouch and handed it to Soun.

Soun took it, and recognized the contract promising that Genma's child was to marry one of his. He then looked at Ranma and jumped at him to give him a hug.

Ranma surprised at the action failed to respond in time while the man started crying. The man then said, "thank goodness you're here Ranma, now you can marry one of my daughters. The one that led you in is Kasumi she's eighteen, then there's Akane who is sixteen, and Nabiki who is seventeen."

As if she was summoned the middle Tendo daughter walked into the room. "Daddy who are these people?" she asked.

"Oh, Nabiki this boy could possibly be your fiancé!" Soun replied.

Ranma, who was getting sick of the talk of forcing him into the marriage contract, one that no longer applied to him no less, kneed Soun in the balls to make him let go. Soun let go with a pained grunt ant fell to his knees as Ranma said, "Listen we came here to tell you that the contract is invalid. That contract was made by the bastard Genma, and he's dead! The last remaining member of that clan was hoisted off by the cops yesterday! Finally I don't practice anything goes martial arts, I practice the alchemic arts."

Soun stood up ignoring the pain the cheap shot gave him, and responded, "But it's a matter of family honor, and your late father's wishes!"

"Saotome honor, not Ibis honor, and considering the other engagements we found out about, Genma cared about this one to the same degree as we do," Roxis said in a serious tone of voice.

"But-but-but…" Soun blubbered.

Nabiki meanwhile was thinking, _brains,looks like he has money, looks, and a fairly prestigious family name if I'm right; perhaps I should try convincing them to let me have a chance._ Her plans were severely harmed by Ranma's next statement.

"Besides, I already have two people I've been promised to, and your youngest is a violent maniac. I have been exchanging letters with both of them for over seven years now, and they seem far nicer than your youngest who tried to bash my head in earlier today," Ranma said bluntly.

"Two people? Starting a harem?" Nabiki asked while trying to find a way to preserve this pact and marry into that fairly influential family.

Roxis and Pamela looked embarrassed at this before Roxis responded, "That was our fault, we made simultaneous arrangements. When we all found out we set some rules up, so the one who doesn't marry him won't lose honor or come looking for revenge."

Soun perked up at that and asked, "Why don't you add us to the agreement?"

Pamela looked at him flatly, and said, "No reason to. Besides since your youngest attacked my son for circumstances outside his control, I wouldn't want her anywhere near him."

Nabiki found herself cursing her sister mentally, she might have been able to salvage the honor pact, or at least have them give her a chance, if her dear sister didn't fly off the handle at any perceived perversion. Thanks to her information network she had a pretty good idea of what set her sister off. "Would my _dear sister's_ reaction be due to Ranma's curse and the gym arrangements?" Nabiki asked with 'dear sister' being a sarcastic drawl.

"Yes, and before you say anything my fiancées know of the curse," Ranma said.

_Damn, we have no leverage to get them to agree, and they know it. He isn't a Saotome, not a martial artist of the anything goes school, hell he even has both parents supporting the break in the engagement. There _is_ one chance though,_ Nabiki thought. "What if one of us was to win him over anyway," she asked.

Pamela shrugged, and said, "He's old enough to make his own mistakes. What would you think Ranma?"

"No chance," Ranma said with conviction.

Nabiki blinked, and her icy facade shattered as she asked hotly, "Why not?"

"I've seen your expression on many faces before, and every one of them wanted me for either my family influence and/or power. So _no thank you_," the pigtailed alchemist said scathingly.

Taken aback by the hostility Nabiki wondered what those others had done to him to make him so hostile to people wanting him for his money and influence. It's not like someone wouldn't want him for that…

In two other parts of the word, a perpetually snowy village and a castle, two girls sneezed.

"Let's go mom, dad, Whim, we said what we needed to, and they aren't listing," Ranma said before turning and starting out the door.

Nabiki's eyes widened even further as she just now noticed the person in the maid uniform before she nodded, and followed the young man that she wanted for his influence out the door of the room. His parents looked at each other and nodded in unspoken agreement that he probably was right, and after taking their leave against the protests of the two that most obviously wanted the pact to go through left the house as well. Nobody noticed the stars in a young woman's eyes that existed since the boy had shown uncommon maturity during the verbal sparring.

As the parents exited the building they noticed Ranma placing something in the mailbox down the street with Whim at his side. The two walked down to meet Ranma and his mana. As they met up with them, Pamela gave Ranma a hug and apologized for putting him through that, before the group headed home, as family.


	4. The Fiancées are a Coming Announcement

Ghost Raised

Chapter 4: The Fiancées are a Coming- Announcement

Life had quickly fallen into a pattern during the next few days for Ranma and Whim. Wake up, eat, go to school, thunder rod Kuno to minimize damage to school property, go to classes, use various ice bombs on Kuno the reasons for which depended on what form Ranma was in, eat lunch, Ice-bomb Akane for attacking him/her due to perceived perversions, finish classes, return home while dodging the girls and/or guys out for dates, do homework, eat dinner, perform experiments, practice his sword work, card work, play some family games, and sleep. The change in this happened on Thursday of the first week, when Ranma received two short letters.

Letter one:

Dear Ranma,

How has your new school been? I hope it's going good, because my parents and yours arranged for me to transfer to Furinkan as well. According to dad I'll be living with you for the school year, so that we may get to know each other beyond our regular letters. I can't wait to meet not only you and Whim, but the other fiancée as well, and I hope we will get along despite the fact that we are both trying for your hand due to our parents. I'll be at your house Sunday the XX.

Your fiancée;

Moka.

Letter two came with a largish clear box full of what looked like lollipops. The box had a 'Don't Open' sign on it. The letter itself read:

Ranma,

Hi, it's Mizore. My parents arranged for me to move into your place to attend Furinkan School with you. See you Sunday.

Mizore.

The scream of horror that reverberated through the house at the time had a near fatality; the old ladle lady that splashed Ranma the first day of school was walking by the house at the time, and had a heart attack. Fortunately, or unfortunately for Ranma's water soluble maleness, the woman survived because of someone calling an ambulance that brought her to the hospital for prompt treatment.

Ranma's parents and Whim ran into the room to see what the matter was. As they entered the main room they saw Ranma looking at two pieces of paper with two enveloped on the floor. Ranma, hearing them enter the room, turned toward the three with a twitching eyebrow and asked, "When exactly were you going to tell me my fiancées are coming? I would have liked more than three or four days to prepare myself for their arrival. Not to mention more than a day to prepare _them_ for the school."

"Roxis, I thought you were going to tell him a week ago?" Pamela asked sweetly.

"I thought we agreed you would," Roxis replied, sweating under the glare Ranma directed at him when he heard what Pamela said.

"Oh dear, sorry Ranma I heard them talking about telling you so I didn't," Whim replied somewhat sheepishly.

*sigh* "At least tell me that you remembered to get their rooms ready," Ranma asked tiredly.

"The furniture will be delivered while you are at school tomorrow," Roxis replied.

"Whim lets go to the lab, we need to make sure that the dangerous stuff is locked up. I don't want a repeat of my accident," Ranma said. He then saw Pamela's face fall and added, "Not that I mind it all that much anymore, I can understand forgetting about experiments, and my getting adopted WAS sudden."

Pamela's face brightened as she realized Ranma wasn't upset, and quickly went back to finishing the cleaning the two guest rooms.

An hour later Ranma was finished organizing his workshop, the bombs and other dangerous materials locked in cabinets, and the rest sorted onto shelves. He then went to his desk to write a couple of survival guides for Furinkan High school.

The first section of the guide read:

1. Avoid the guy in the kendo outfit. He will send a gang after you claiming that in order to date you they have to beat you up. He thinks this applies even if you don't agree.

2. If he starts the aforementioned challenge either ask me to deal with it, or hurt the group badly, and say you will do worse if they try again. This, at least for me, stopped all but the kendo guy from bothering me.

3. Guy in kendo outfit keeps bothering you? Hurt him, or ask me for help.

4. Avoid Akane, she will probably think you are perverts for being betrothed to the same person and attack. See solution for number three.

5. Avoid Nabiki, she will try and bilk you out of your money, or try to chase you away from me. She apparently wants to marry me due to my family influence (not interested).

6. Nabiki has spies that try and ferret out blackmail material on other students, threaten them and they generally go away.

7. Finally a personal request, help me get rid of all the girls and guys after me. I have no intention of cheating on you two.

After Ranma finished the guide with other pointers on who to avoid, or who to befriend, as well as informing them of the gym situation, he stretched. Taking a look at the clock at the edge of his dark wood desk he noticed that he had just enough time to copy the guide before bed. Quickly making a copy of the guide he repacked his book bag with his attack items, and went to bed feeling that tomorrow will be different. He had no idea how right he was.

A good distance away, at the Tendo Dojo, two girls were making plans. The plans of the two girls were vastly different, but about the same subject, Ranma Ibis, and how to get him to date them.

Kasumi was looking through her recipes. Her plan was a simple one, and based off of something she heard, 'The way to a man's heart is through his stomach,' so she was creating a bento for him, and she hoped that he didn't hold what happened at the house against her. Selecting the recipes for the bento wasn't hard considering that she makes them for her younger sisters. She had waited a few days, so that Ranma would have a chance to cool off. Placing the recipes aside she went off to prepare for bed, and as she drifted off to sleep she dreamed of a young man helping her create a happy home for her family.

Meanwhile Nabiki was searching for some hold on Ranma to get him to date her. She was currently failing, badly. She would try blackmail about the bombs, but considering that they have only been used in self defense and that Ranma had a license to carry and use them in that capacity it was a dead end. Not to mention, that course of action would almost certainly land her in jail since he would bring the blackmail to the police's attention. Her final decision was to simply ask, and hope he was over the conversation from Monday. Turning out the lights she drifted off to sleep, dreaming of the wealth and influence being the wife of a certain young man would bring her.

The next day started like any other, at least until Ranma entered his classroom with whim behind him. When he entered he saw someone standing by his desk. "Nabiki, what are you doing here?" he said coldly.

"I just wanted to ask…" she started to respond.

"Whatever you're going to ask, I'm not interested," Ranma interrupted still in the same cold voice.

"But…" Nabiki started while thinking, _How dare he?_

"Listen, I have a good idea of what you're going to ask, and the answer is no, I have absolutely no interest in a bitch like you, or in fulfilling a void pact," he then pushed past her and sat at his desk with Whim moving to her own. The class which had assembled at this time was awestruck that someone dared to treat Nabiki like that.

Nabiki stood there trying to articulate her thoughts and arguments, but couldn't think of a good response. Clenching her fists and jaw in anger, she decided to retreat until she could create a plan, nearly bowling over Akane as she left the classroom.

Akane just looked in shock as her sister stalked past, wondering what made her angry, Akane walked into the classroom only to see Ranma at his desk with a pair of those ice-bombs he keeps hitting her and Kuno with on the desk. She considered attacking him for upsetting her sister with his perversions, but decided that she didn't want to be iced up today like she has been for the last week.

Ranma quickly fell asleep during classes, not only because they were dull, but also because in the physical sciences he was far above the course work. The teachers had already tested him in those subjects and found that he had passed the previous year's final with a perfect score, so they just let him sleep as long as the homework and tests were completed.

Shortly before lunch a young woman with her first crush, was walking to the school with a freshly made bento. Her plan was simple; ask him to join her for lunch, and share the bento with him. What could go wrong? She had a sinking feeling as soon as she asked herself that question.

At the school the lunch bell had just rang, and Ranma was in an especially foul mood. The day was simply not going well. First it was Nabiki coming on to him, then the other girls decided to follow her lead during the class breaks, and finally after he was splashed the boys took their turn along with a few more girls. I was a testament to his self control that the school wasn't a pile of rubble. As Ranma and Whim headed to their normal tree to eat Ranma saw Kasumi approaching, and asked venomously, "What are you doing here _Tendo_?"

Taken aback by the venom that she had never had directed at her before she composed herself, and responded, "I was wondering if we could have lunch together, I made this bento for us…" she started holding the bento out.

This was the final straw that broke the camel's back. With a quick backhand Ranma knocked the bento out of her hands and onto the ground, scattering the contents. "What is with you people? What did I ever do to make you think I was interested in any of you? _**I ALREADY AM ENGAGED!**_ And I have absolutely NO interest in ANY of the Tendo family. So LEAVE ME ALONE!" Ranma shouted angrily, he then turned to the crowd that gathered due to his shouting, and said, "I don't mind being friends with you, but I'm sick and tired of getting badgered for dates."

Kasumi looked at Ranma then the remains of the bento she made especially for him before bursting into tears and running from the school grounds.

"Ranma! How dare you do that to Kasumi?" Akane said as she rushed to attack him.

A quick long ice bomb later and an Akane sickle replaced Akane.

Conversation flew through the crowd as both the announcement of Ranma's engagement spread as well as how he had treated one of the nicest people they knew.

Nabiki herself was in shock. Her sister was turned down without even a moments consideration on Ranma's part. If _Kasumi _was rejected like that what chance did she have? She then thought of what Ranma said, and decided that he might have been pressed too hard today, and after thinking about it, decided to support Kasumi. She probably had a better chance than she did, and if Kasumi gets together with Ranma she could always ask her to use the influence of the Ibis family.

Ranma for his part simply sat under his normal tree eating, and trying to get his temper under control. Thankfully Kuno was once again encased in the frozen pool from earlier in the day, so he wasn't around to respark his anger.

The rest of the school avoided him as much as possible throughout the rest of the day, none of them wanted to get the 'cold' shoulder treatment that Akane got earlier. Ranma noticed the fact that they were avoiding him, and was privately grateful. While he was capable of enjoying the company of others, and he was not a loner by nature, he was uncomfortable in large groups, or in being the center of attention like he was today.

As he looked back on his actions later, Ranma would admit he might have been a bit harsh, but he was sick of the people in school hitting on him. Who they were was dependent on his current form, with only a few girls… and guys trying no matter the form.

Walking home was, for once, a quite affair. Nobody was jumping up asking for a date. Ranma got home just in time to see a man in a dirty brown Gi stalk out of the house. Ranma, recognizing Soun, reached into his bag, and grabbed a bomb randomly as the man approached.

"How dare you do that to my daughter? It's bad enough you broke an honor pact, but you insulted her when she took the time to make you that lunch!" the angry man shouted in Ranma's face.

"What? The fact that she was probably just after me for the same reason Nabiki is? Or to preserve a voided pact? Or more likely on your orders? Trust me, marring into your family is the LAST thing I would ever want. However you might be right that I went too far, please send my apologies for my rudeness in declining her offer, I had a bad day up to that point and shouldn't have taken it out on her, but the answer is still no. Now out of my way," Ranma replied evenly. He then stepped past the man who was trying to formulate a response started to walk to the house.

Whim bowed politely before following her master.

Soun wanted to follow Ranma, but unfortunately he knew about bad days, and looking for an excuse to vent. With a sigh he replied, "Wait, will you be willing to apologize to her directly? I know about bad days and needing to vent, but she came home in tears, and when I left after getting the story ten minutes ago she was still crying."

Ranma turned to Whim sighed, and said, "Whim, tell mom where I'm going and I'll be back in less than an hour." He then turned to Soun and said, "I'm only going to apologize for my overreaction, but my answer will still be no, understand?"

"Yes," the man sighed.

As they walked to the dojo in silence Soun took the opportunity to examine how Ranma moved. What he saw disappointed him, while Ranma had the walk of a fighter, it was not the walk of one who spent his life as a martial artist. The walk did look familiar and after a second he recognized the walk. "Sword," he said simply

"Huh?" Ranma replied.

"You've been trained to use a sword almost exclusively," the mustached man clarified.

"Yes, how did you know?" Ranma replied suspiciously.

"Your walk," Soun said simply.

Ranma nodded accepting the explanation as they approached the dojo.

"Come in, I'll lead you to Kasumi," Soun said.

Kasumi was in the dining room still crying. As she heard two sets of footsteps approach. "Excuse me Kasumi," a familiar voice said.

She looked up and saw Ranma standing by her father. "What do you want?" she sobbed.

"I wish to apologize; my actions earlier were a bit over the top. I had a bad day with everyone and their brother asking me out, and you were the last straw that made me lose my temper. While I would've still declined I'm generally am more polite about declining such invitations," Ranma answered gently. "I've said my piece goodbye." He then walked out of the house.

Kasumi's tears slowly stopped after he left, and while she was still sad, went to the bathroom to get cleaned up when a thought occurred to her. Ranma had said he over reacted due to a bad day, so it's possible that he might be more receptive at a later time, after all it wasn't like his supposed fiancées were here.

Unfortunately, she had no clue as to what was coming next Sunday…

End chapter 4.


	5. The Fiancees Arrive

Ghost Raised

Chapter 5 The Fiancees Arrive...

All too soon Sunday arrived, and Ranma was outside of his house dressed in one of his alchemy uniforms, and leaning against said house reading one of his alchemy books. His parents were also outside waiting for their potential daughters in laws to appear. Whim on the other hand was performing the finishing touches on Mizore's room by adding in cooling units created alchemically by Ranma, Roxis, and Pamila with her aid.

Unknown to the group, Kasumi was also preparing to visit. Since she knew that the school has no classes on Sunday, she was prepared to try to talk to Ranma once again, and this time she hoped things would go better. She also had decided to take a different tack, in that she wanted to try and convince Ranma's parents to reconsider the engagement between Ranma and her family. To this end she had packed a gift of fresh baked cookies to give them.

Unfortunately, her timing was completely wretched, as she arrived just as a bus arrived in front of Ranma's house. She slowed down to watch what was happening when a cute pink haired girl hopped out of the bus, and upon seeing the pigtailed youth, rushed to him, scooped him up in a hug, and from Kasumi's angle all it looked like was that she buried her face in his neck but in actuality, she had decided to take a quick snack. The pink haired girl had already gotten permission to have some of Ranma's blood as long as she didn't go overboard. She stopped in time so that Ranma did not get light headed. Kasumi saw this and noticed that Ranma wasn't trying to fight her off much beyond removing her head from his shoulder.

With tears forming in her eyes Kasumi dropped her cookies and prepared to leave when a second girl got off the bus, she was also cute, but dressed in a set of unflattering clothes consisting of a heavy long sleeve shirt, short skirt, and mid thigh length striped stalkings. Her blue hair and eyes were just as distinctive as the pink hair of her companion. She also had a lollipop stick sticking out of her mouth.

"Ranma,"she said fairly warmly to him with a smile. She then turned to Moka, and said in a somewhat irritated voice, "You couldn't wait until we got settled before doing that?"

The now detached Moka replied, "Sorry, Ranma," abashed.

"Its okay, but lets get you two moved in, oh and before I forget here," Ranma said before handing then the guides he made the night before they had a hand done change in the showering arrangements for school. Kuno had used his position as the principles son to get the key and use the teachers locker room, and used it as an opportunity to sneak in there as Ranma-Chan was getting undressed to shower, she avoided him, but the girls upon hearing about the incident all, well most, decided it was best if she was with them. They immediately noticed that Ranma didn't react at all in the locker room, and after discussing it decided it must be because with a beautiful female body of his own, it would take more than a pretty body to catch his attention.

The two girls shrug and start reading while the menfolk start moving their luggage from the bus into the house... all the men except for the creepy bus driver that is. _He_ on the other hand simply started reading over the shoulder of the two girls. Since the girls knew they were moving into already furnished rooms they had brought only their non furniture possessions.

Kasumi who was watching the interactions between the two girls and the pigtailed target of her affections teared up, and ignoring the spilled bag of cookies, which a small dragon-like creature landed near after her back was turned and started eating them, and ran from the scene without anyone knowing she was there. Despite her blurred vision she managed to make it home. Passing by her sisters she ran into her room, closed the door, and collapsed on the bed sobbing. Her thought were that with the ease that Ranma showed, it must mean that these two were the fiancees that he mentioned. Fiancees that didn't have the burden of a sister who attacks him, or one that is looking to get him for whatever wealth and influence he has.

"What was that about?" Akane asked.

"I don't know, but I'll go find out," Nabiki replied.

Nabiki knocked on her sisters door, and when Kasumi invited her in opened the door and walked in. the first thing that struck her was that her sister was a mess with red puffy eyes and tears streaking her makeup. "the meeting with Ranma didn't go well I take it?" Nabiki asked. While waiting for the answer, she was mentally planning her revenge on Ranma for doing this to her sister.

"Ranma, he never saw me, his fiancees arrived right as I got there, and he... he had no pr-problem being hugged by at least one of them," Kasumi replied haltingly.

Nabiki's thoughts of revenge skidded to a halt at those words, as well as many of her plans to get Kasumi hitched to the influential family. The news that the fiancees are here, living with Ranma, and him accepting their affections puts a serious crimp all of her current plans. "All is not lost Kasumi, give me a bit of time. I'll see what can be done about this."

As the conversation between sisters continued, along with a eaves dropping third sister who was developing a massive anger based battle aura, Roxis and Ranma were moving the last set of boxes. "Finally, I hope we don't have to do this again soon," Ranma groaned out as he placed Mizore's last box in her room.

Roxis gave one of his semi-serious smiles that, for him, means he's amused at the situation at his sons complaint. After setting the box he was carrying down, he replied, "Agreed, now lets tell the girls that the boxes are ready for them to unpack."

Ranma nodded at that, and followed his father out to the front porch where the girls, Pamela, and the bus driver were waiting. "Your stuff is ready to be unpacked," Ranma said interrupting the gossiping trio of females.

"Well that's my cue to leave," the creepy bus driver said. He then walked to the bus, got in, and drove off. Midway down the street the bus seemed to vanish like it was entering a wall of invisibility from the front back.

The rest of the day was spent unpacking for the girls, Roxis and Ranma on the other-hand, had a different issue. The rest of the day they spent moving between Mizore's room and Moka's room as they called them to help rearrange the furniture in their rooms. Dinner was a mostly quite affair with Ranma and Roxis too tired to help with the conversation between the four females at the table. That conversation was about the guide that Ranma had handed them. Much to the Girls surprise both Pamela and Whim confirmed the contents of the guide, and even implied that Ranma might have been understating the issues at the school. As soon as dinner was finished both of the males living in the house excused themselves from the table, walked to their rooms, fell onto their beds, and fell asleep, sore from the days exertions.

-The Next Day-

Ranma groaned as his alarm went off, his hand made its way to the evil device, and managed to get it to turn off. Moving stiffly he climbed bout of his bed, and made his way over to one of his cabinets. He started cursing under his breath as he remembered he locked most of his storage spaces. He moved to his desk and fumbled around until he opened the secret compartment that contained the keys, and after finding the right one moved back to the cabinet. Upon opening the cabinet a selection of bottles was reveled, and he immediately grabbed a cure jar. He then drank it down, and sighed in relief as the powerful medicine did its job.

Grabbing another cure jar, and incidentally knocking a jar of plain water over himself, triggering the change to the female sex, Ranma relocked and rehid the keys. Moving quietly since he is normally the second one up he creeped into is fathers room and placed the jar on his side table. Still half asleep he moved back into his room, gathered a change of clothes, and headed past the kitchen with a groggy greeting to his mom and mana. Now some facts need to be pointed out, the new house-guests are a recent occurrence, all the usual members of the household were accounted for, and since the only two people who take baths are male they never bothered to acquire an occupied sign. All these facts, combined with Ranma's sleepiness caused her to simply strip in the preparation room, take a towel from the pile near the bathroom door, and open the door to the bathroom, unfortunately for her inside the room were the aforementioned house guests having a soak.

As soon as the sight before her registered on her brain Ranma snapped fully awake, slammed the sliding door shut, and called out, "Sorry!" A second later he was glad he had shut the door so quickly, because several ice kuni slammed into the door hard enough to put half their length through said door.

Inside the bathroom Moka was seething. "I can't believe he tried to peep on us so blatantly," she said to her bath mate hotly. Both ere quite comfortable with the help of several allchemized bath powders, and accessories to prevent them from ether getting too hot, being drained of power, or freezing the water.

"Chill out a second, he's probably not used to having us in the house, I mean we didn't exactly leave anything at the door stating the room was occupied. Besides, he was a she, and peeping on us is kinda pointless, she is kinda cute in her own right, and according to Ranma the girls at school decided that he/she will be changing in the same locker room as us," Mizore responded in a fairly calm voice after chucking a few ice kuni at the door that has quickly closed.

"Then why..." Moka began.

"Just so he won't get it into his head that walking in on us is acceptable. Understandable this one time yes, acceptable no." Mizore answered.

Moka just shook her head at her co-fiancee and continued with her soak.

A half an hour later the two left the bathroom, and found a new occupied sign hanging from the door, as well as a hook on the wall to put it after they were done with it.

Moka looked at the sign, and sighed. "Looks like Ranma's been busy trying to prevent a repeat of what just happened," she commented.

"Still think he needs to be punished? This shows that he/she probably didn't realize we were up, besides he showed us half of what we're getting," Mizore replied.

"True, but we should tell Ranma the bath is free now. He will need to get cleaned up before school," Moka said as she and Mizore started toward the dining room. "Speaking of school, do you think Ranma was serious about those guides? I know his mom agreed with them, but the list of people to bash, ignore, and/or avoid seems a bit extreme."

"We'll see once we start school now won't we?" Mizore replied as they arrived in the dining room. Upon seeing Ranma sitting at the table reading a book she said, "Baths free."

Ranma nodded before heading to the bath , and upon seeing the nervous look on Ranma's face Moka said to her as she passed, "Don't worry, we're not overly mad, just try to avoid it in the future." After she said that she took a quick bite leaving Ranma silently cursing and holding a hand to her neck as she headed to the bathroom.

Soon afterward Roxis came down the stairs while finishing up the cure jar. Upon seeing the two girls in the dining-room puzzling over one of Ranma's advanced alchemy books, which was written in the same language that existed back when alchemy was widespread with Moka holding it and Mizore looking over her shoulder, he said, "Good-morning girls have you seen Ranma? He's up, but he's usually helping Pamela with setting the table around now." He then threw the bottle into the recycling bin.

"He's taking his bath right now Mr. Ibis," Moka replied. "We were taking our bath when he got up, so he's running a bit late."

"Oh," Roxis said, then grimaced as something occurred to him. "I have a bad feeling this might be the case, and I'm hoping I'm wrong, but did he walk in on you?"

"Yes, but we worked it out, and the door to the bathroom might need to be replaced, besides he was a she," Mizore responded.

"Replaced?" He asked.

"Mizore but a few ice kuni through it, as an object lesson for Ranma," Moka said.

"Fine, but try not to do it again," Roxis replied.

The two girls decide to put the book back where Ranma had left it since they couldn't read it anyway, just before Ranma spoke from behind them with a smirk on his now male face, "Interesting book? And dad, the bath is free."

The two girls blushed as Ranma walked past them as he went into the kitchen, his timing was perfect, as Pamela and Whim had finished cooking breakfast. The three of them started bringing out a large western breakfast, consisting of bacon, eggs and pancakes. The newcomers to the household were a bit surprised what the morning meal consisted of. They were expecting a traditional Japanese breakfast.

Pamela noticed the looks on the girls' faces, and quickly realized what the problem was, "Sorry, we are used to a more western breakfast here rather than the traditional Japanese ones, perhaps I can pick up some recipes to make some for us tomorrow if you prefer."

"Thank you, Mrs. Ibis," Moka replied.

"Thanks," Mizore added.

Just then Luminus, flew in through the open window. He took one look at the table, and sighed. "So they did come. I feel sorry for you Ranma, two powerful, and pretty girls competing for your attentions. Not to mention that Tendo girl who came by yesterday, those cookies she dropped were delicious."

"Tendo girl? I don't remember seeing any of the three yesterday," Ranma replied contemplatively.

"Of course not, she never stepped out from the wall she was hiding behind. She dropped the cookies when Moka bit you, and ran away crying soon after Mizore appeared. I hope she moves on for her sake," Luminus said sadly.

"That family doesn't know how to take no for an answer," Ranma said while shaking his head. He then saw the two girls glaring at him and held his hands up in a placating manner, as he continued, "Remember the guide I gave you? The girl was probably one of the of three sisters who want to try and marry me for mom's influence, or to fulfill a pact that was voided ten years ago. I don't think she has any real interest in me, and I never had any in any of them."

The fiancee's let up on the glare as the pigtailed boy looked at the clock on the wall. "Crap, we need to get going, I'll meet you at the front door, and show you the way," Ranma said while standing up, grabbing his dishes, quickly moved them to the kitchen sink, grabbed his lunch from the kitchen sink and his book from the table, and moved to the frond door.

Whim moved to take the dishes of the girls, and after depositing them in the sink as well, before she left to meet up with Ranma. Moka quickly moved to her room to retrieve her book-bag, Mizore did the same, but she also grabbed a few of her lollipops as well as a a note telling the teachers that she is allowed to eat the lollipops during class. After the two girls met up with their fiance and his maid, they started off to the school, the two girls were wondering what awaited them in their new school.

-End Chapter-


	6. This Guy Never Learns

Ghost Raised

Chapter 6 : This Guy Never Learns...

It was a normal day, in a normal neighborhood... oh wait, that's not where we are, so let's move away from that scene, and switch to the one where four people, three girls, and a boy were walking to Lunatic farm, also known as Furinkan high school. They were discussing the events at said school, over the past week. All four of them were unique in a way, one was a yuki-onna, one was a sealed vampire, the third was an heir to an art whom only has two living practitioners, and the fourth was what looked like a well built girl in a blue maid uniform. The third, and final person involved in the aforementioned art was plainly dead, but she didn't let that stop her.

As the four approached the gates, the girls noticed that there was a large mob of boys, many of them sporting bandages for various reasons, at the front gate. The boys noticed that the boy/girl that many of them either hated, or lusted after depending on his/her form was walking to school, and he wasn't in the company of only his beautiful maid, but two other attractive females. The two females following him were, to their eyes exotically beautiful, this fanned their hatred for the pigtailed alchemist even higher, but they decided that it was too much of a risk to confront him directly.

One boy, dressed in blue, unfortunately didn't get the memo. Upon seeing the two girls with his hated rival he stood up tall, or at least as tall as he could with broken bones, burns, bandages, and the beginnings of frostbite allowed all in all, the boy looked a mummy that had a bad day.

The rest of the boys looked at the eye of the pompous boy, and then at the boy who was even now reaching into his satchel, and even before the first boy began to speak, ran into the school as if their life depended on it.

Kuno looked at the now empty courtyard, and realized that his speech would have to wait, as it is pointless making a deceleration without his audience. His deluded mind supplied that perhaps his loyal troops merely moved to a place that they could better see his pronouncement, and so he decided to make his speech fueled by images supplied with the head below his waist, "I hereby declare that I will da..."

Before the deluded kendoist could finish, Mizore pegged him with several blunted ice kunis, backed up by a teraflame provided by Ranma, but used by Moka, and a thunder rod by Ranma. After the smoke cleared it was clear, the blue thunder of Furinkan high, was once again, on the way to the hospital. Mizore would've used sharp ice kunis but her mother told her not to kill in the human world, besides it might put Ranma off.

At the hospital the doctors and nurses, were just finishing the renovations to one of their hospital rooms. The room now sported a shiny new nameplate, and the name was that of a certain kendoist who had been in the hospital six out of the last seven days. The room also sported video cameras so that when the deluded mans lawyers complain about substandard care they would have evidence, as well as evidence of sexual harassment of, a blue-black haired nurse.

Back at the school, an ambulance had already taken the boy away. Ranma shouted out to the boys he knew were listening, "If I ever see a mob start to bother another girl again, you'll envy Kuno's fate!"

All through the school girls acquired hearts in their eyes at Ranma's proclamation. The guys? They started shitting bricks. They were now stuck between a rock and an explosive device. If they continued the morning treatment of Akane they risked bringing Ranma's wrath upon them, if they stopped, Kuno would try and kill them for disobeying his attack edict, and thinking that the violent girl wasn't worth it. Over half of the boys never wanted a date with her in the first place, but Kuno's second proclamation that nobody could date until Akane does. The boys who disagreed with the various proclamations were secretly glad that Ranma took it into his hands to end the problem.

Ten minutes later a blue-black haired girl ran into the courtyard of the school screaming that she hates boys, but to her shock she saw the mob wasn't there, and from the condition of the area that it wasn't Ranma's fault. Only one crater was present, and it was most likely the result of Kuno's annoying Ranma. She made her way into the school still confused, and up to her class room. When she got there she found two pretty girls in non Furinkan uniforms standing outside the classroom chatting. Eger to make some new friends, she walked up to them, and said, "Hi, I'm Akane Tendo, and you are?"

Moka was the first to recognize the name, and responded acidly, "What do you want?"

Taken aback by the odd and unfriendly response she asked, "I just wanted to see if we could be friends."

"You ask that, after you attacked our fiancé?" Mizore asked coldly.

"I don't know you fiancé, I don't think," Akane responded confused.

"Ranma Ibis," Moka said.

"That Pervert!" Akane exclaimed, horrified that anyone would be engaged to the gender cursed alchemist.

The two girls looked at each other and, as if they had some unseen signal decided to ignore the girl who insulted their fiancé and to continue to talk and pass the time until they are called in to introduce themselves.

Akane was about to yell at them to not ignore her, when the bell chose that time to ring. This forced her to enter the classroom or be considered late.

After the students has taken their seats for the class, the teacher cleared his throat, and said, "Good morning class, today we have two new students starting today, why don't you come in and introduce yourselves to the class?"

The pinkett came in first and remembering how it was done from her previous school bowed, and said, "Moka Akashiya, pleased to meet you. I transferred here to be with my fiancé Ranma, because of an arranged marriage that my father set up with his mother."

The purple haired girl went next, and bowed. "Mizore Shirayuki, also engaged to Ranma, but it was his father and my mother who arranged it, apparently within hours of Moka's arrangement," She said calmly.

Ranma and his two fiancée's both felt glares upon them. Most of the girls were alternating between glaring at Ranma, and glaring at the new girls, Ranma for not telling them he was engaged, and the girls for being engaged. The boys involved with the glares on the other hand, had their glares directed solely at Ranma. The reason? Two girls, cuter than any that attended the school before today, and they were both taken by the same boy who had the hot maid serving him, the eldest Tendo girl after him, and who blew up quite a few of their friends. Ranma, who after the first half of the previous week was moved to a section of the classroom away from Akane, and had no empty chairs near him, but to Moka and Mizore, who had worked out several rules on the ride to Ranma's house knew a way to correct that.

The two boys turned their attention away from glaring at Ranma upon hearing a thunk from their desks. The turned to see ice kuni's embedded in their desks, and heard Mizore say, "Move."

The desks became empty in short order as the two boys took the two empty seats near Akane. The boys, who were willingly a part of the morning hoards felt Akane's glare as it turned on them, and knew that they dared not try anything.

Classes preceded much the same as normal, at least until lunch rolled around… when the fiancée pair dragged Ranma off to eat with them. Normally he would resist, but he actually wasn't all that unhappy about eating with the two, but what he WAS unhappy with was that the two had him by the arms, and were literally dragging him along with them. Whim on the other hand was following behind them, thinking about the differences in this master and her previous one, Lilly. Ranma was actually leaving furrows in the soil when the three crossed the grassy parts of the trip.

As the four came to a stop, Ranma said, "You didn't have to drag me you know."

The two fiancées had the decency to blush, and stammer out an apology, while Whim simply sat down to enjoy the company of the other three.

The four sat down and ate Whim's excellent cooking in a comfortable silence, but this was not to last, because just as they finished their meal they heard IT, IT of course being the badly spoken poetry of a man who thought his ancestry made him superior, and deserving of whatever, or whoever he wanted.

"MY LOVES!" Kuno brayed like a jackass mummy. "I will now free you from the depravations of the foul sorcerer that has you in thrall!"

Moka's left eye had developed a violent twitch at this, and she turned toward Ranma and asked, "Would you mind trying to take this off for me?" while holding up a silver rosary with a bloodstone center. It was attached to a leather band around her neck by what looked like two large links of a chain.

Ranma shrugged, and after grabbing the cross, gave it a sharp yank, and to his surprise it came off easily.

Suddenly a swarm of bats surrounded Moka, and covered her completely. When the bats dispersed to reveal Moka, but this Moka was different, she was slightly taller, had more curves, red eyes, and an attitude.

"I see that the sorcerer has let you loose from his evil spell, come let me prove that only I am worthy of you beauty!" the deluded boy said, as he ran toward Moka.

Moka simply cocked her leg back, and as soon as the boy waving a stick came within range, let loose a mighty kick with a shout of, "Know your place!"

The kick connected squarely with a piece of male only anatomy, which cause many males to wince in sympathy for Kuno for the only time in living memory. The force of the kick was sufficient to send the now soprano Tatewaki Kuno out of the ward, and fortunately for him, strait to his reserved hospital room.

This demonstration had an unintended side effect, it made ALL the boys who were jealous of Ranma being close to the cute pink haired girl, who now was a silver haired bombshell, be less jealous. They considered that being in a relationship with her might be hazardous to their health, even more than chasing after Akane.

"So you're the fiancé our father arranged, not bad, but I'll wait to see your true worth for myself," the silver haired Moka said before taking the cross from Ranma's slackened hand. As soon as she put the cross back on her hair went back to pink, and she fell forward.

Ranma caught her, by becoming her landing pad. Moka ended up laying on him so that her face was by his neck. She quickly woke up, and upon noticing where she was did two things. The first thing was she blushed, and the second? CHU… she grabbed a snack…

"ARRGGG, please stop doing that so suddenly!" Ranma cried.

The boys in the school yard looked at Ranma like he was crazy, _a pretty girl kissing his neck, and he's complaining? What's wrong with him_, were the thoughts running through their minds.

Fortunately for Ranma, Mizore hit Moka with a blunted ice knife at the same time whim got them with ice cold water. This caused the vampire to remember where she was, and sheepishly disengaged from the now female Ranma.

The bell rang signifying a return to classes. Thus was the start of Ranma's favorite set of classes. The morning classes which Ranma always did well, but never seemed to excel in were history, English, and Japanese. The afternoon classes on the other hand, were math, science which was chemistry this year, and gym Ranma was far advanced in two of the three, and in the third he was in exceptional, but not superhuman shape. In the morning classes Moka had outshone the class, even further than Ranma usually does. They at least could count on him making minor mistakes once in awhile, but Moka showed that she had brains to go with her looks. During the afternoon classes Ranma dominated, since what they teach was far below the level she tended to use every day in the lab.

Then gym rolled around, and Ranma went into the changing room like normal. The girls, who were all pretty much upset that he never mentioned the fiancées didn't want to appear shallow by going back on their word, so they just glared at her. After all, engaged is not married, and she keeps her eyes to herself. The part ghost girl changed quickly into her gym cloths, thankful that she was able to avoid the standard girl's uniform. She then flouted out through the wall, much to the surprise of the girls as this was the first time she had done so. Today was a day she was with the girls.

Today's sport was softball, and it proceeded fairly smoothly, at least until it was Akane's turn at bat. She hit the ball dead on full strength. The ball, almost as if it was intentionally aimed, flew strait at Ranma. It should be noted at this point, that unlike Pamela a full ghost who has to concentrate to interact with the physical world, Ranma who merely has a ghost tainted cursed form, has to concentrate to phase through objects, as such the ball easily smacked her on the temple, and knocked her out cold. A ghost of a smirk could be seen on the batters face, but nobody was paying attention to her. They were all concerned with the young girl lying unconscious on the ground.

A quick discussion between the girls on the field and the coach resulted in Moka and Mizore carrying their mutual fiancée down the street toward a clinic that the coach pointed them toward. Meanwhile Whim dashed to the locker-room to grab Ranma's bag, knowing that he would probably want it when he woke up. Akane meanwhile, knowing of her sister's interest in Ranma and how Tofu reacts to her presence ran into the school and found a phone, calling her sister she informed her that Ranma was hurt and heading to Dr. Tofu's clinic.

A few minutes later Ranma was awoken by smelling salts being passed under her nose. As her eyes opened she saw a strange man, wearing a brown gi and glasses, standing over her holding a small bottle under her nose.

"Ow, who are you, and what hit me?" Ranma asked.

"Well Miss Ranma, according to your friends it was a softball hit by Akane," the man said, "and I'm Doctor Tofu."

"Master Ranma, I have your bag, and hot water," Whim said from behind Ranma.

"It's good you brought her stuff Miss Whim, but is this the best time for this?" the doctor asked.

"Thanks Whim, could you hand me a cure jar or two? That should be enough to stop my splitting headache," Ranma asked.

Tofu mouthed, "Cure jar?"

Whim handed Ranma the jar of red liquid from Ranma's bag and she, in an economical set of movements, uncapped it and drank it down.

The doctor was shocked that the large bruise on the side of Ranma's head faded within seconds and the pain that Ranma was in seemed to fade in the same time frame. "What the hell was THAT," he shouted. "You had severe bruising on your temple, and a moderate concussion, and now they're both healed because you drank that stuff?"

"Hot water Whim?" Ranma said, and as soon as she took the glass from his mana, she used it to become he.

The doctor's eyes bugged out upon seeing that changing from a lovely young white haired girl in a skirt, to a young man in a fairly fancy slacks and shirt. Before the doctor could say anything Ranma explained about Jusenkyo, and how he ended up cursed. "And as to the medicine I drank? I made it through a secret family recipe," he finished.

The doctor looked thoughtful, and was about to respond when the bell to his practice rang signifying that someone had come in. The answer as to who it was provided when Kasumi's voice sounded out, "Hello? Ranma? Doctor Tofu?"

Doctor Tofu's glasses fogged up as Kasumi entered the Room with Ranma and the others, and the doctor grabbed Ranma's arm in his hand and started bending it in unnatural positions as he said, "Why hello Kasumi, what a coincidence seeing you here."

Mizore, sick of seeing her fiancé being manhandled in what appeared to be a very painful manner decided to correct it in an uncharacteristic manner. She decked him hard. This caused the man to let go of Ranma, who promptly moved to the other side of the room from the crazed doctor. Fortunately the doctor's attention turned toward the skeleton in the corner, which he promptly started chatting with.

"I take it you're here to see him? I will take my leave then," Ranma said in a polite but stiff manner, before he walked out the door.

"No I…" She began then realized that she wouldn't get any further as he closed the door in her face.

Ranma's actions confused the two fiancées. This is the first time they had ever seen him act like this to someone before they even spoke. That he had ignored her response was even more uncharacteristic of him, and so they decided to speak with the older woman. They eventually got her side of the story of what happened the previous week, and realized that Ranma was quite serious about everything in the guide, but especially about helping to stop people from trying to date him.

"So, you're trying to steal our fiancé, based off a voided contract?" Mizore asked as she caused the temperature in the room to drop five degrees. The three had to step aside as Tofu danced through the closed door and out of his clinic with Betty, his skeleton.

Moka joined in the glaring, which caused Kasumi to shrink back as she fumbled for an acceptable answer, "Well I… err… that is… I thought… Well, umm…"

Glare.

"I thought that I could get him to reconsider voiding the pact?" Kasumi squeaked.

"Even after he told you he wasn't interested? What about the way your sisters treated him? Or didn't you think they mattered in his mind? Remember IF he married you, they would be his sisters in law and in contact with him quite often," Mika grilled Kasumi.

Kasumi hung her head as she realized that she had ignored Ranma's feeling toward her family during her pursuit of him, his feelings toward her, and the feelings of the two girls in front of her.

Moka put the final nail in the coffin containing her idea of marring Ranma, at least yet, by not cruelly but out of necessity saying, "Besides, how much do you know of Ranma? We have been pen pals ever since we were engaged, so we got to know each other pretty well. What about you? How long have you known him? Talked with him? Even spent time in his presence?"

Kasumi was devastated by the last round of questions, because she knew the answers, and none of them were conductive to a healthy relationship. This caused her romantic dreams, culled from her romance novels, to crumble quickly. Suddenly, almost as if she was channeling Nabiki, she thought of a plan that, at the very least, would allow her to become friends with Ranma, and his fiancées. The plan was subtle, devious, and at the very least has little to no chance of backfiring if it fails. She stood up, and with a quick apology, departed to speak with her family about her plans.

The two girls saw the determined expression on the departing girl's face, and realized that she would probably try for Ranma again. They, unknowing of what the older girl was thinking, decided to head home and attempt to catch up with Ranma.


	7. Ghost Raised Files 1: The Engagements

Ghost Raised Files 1:

The Engagements.

AN: A person wondered why two monster families' accepted the compromise of letting them all be engaged and Ranma deciding later. This is the answer.

AN2: Did some revisions on previous chapters, nothing major but some things were changed.

The Ibis family, the fiancées of the soul teenaged male in the group, as well as the alchemically created dragon/sword was gathered in the family room for a family event to celebrate the first full day living together, by playing the import game, Clue. Moka was helping to set up the game, when she asked, "Just how did you get to know my father, and how did you two end up engaging Ranma to the both of us Mr. and Mrs. Ibis?" she asked as she picked one of each of the weapon, suspect, and location cards and slipped them into the envelope. She also selected Miss Scarlet as her character.

Mizore added her two cents as she shuffled the remaining cards and started dealing them out to the group, "I'm curious as well, but it never seemed the right time to ask, but since we have both parties responsible here..." she then set Mrs. Peacock, as her token.

Pamela as she chose her character, Mrs. White, noticed Ranma's interested expression as he grabbed Colonel Mustard, and after seeing Roxis nod and grab Professor Plum sighed and, started in on her story as Luminus grabbed the remaining piece, Mr. Green.

-Wavy flashback effect-

_Pamela's voice-over: It was thirty years ago when I first met Moka's father, and I rolled a six..._

Pamela was travailing around looking for rare ingredients to experiment with, noticed an old fashioned for the current time period, wagon, this wagon had a person who looked like a noble man traveling inside.

The man, who normally doesn't deign to interact with the common people, told his driver to stop near the girl, as he recognized something from an old moldering book. The book was written in a language dead for many millennia, but one picture was still fairly clear, if discolored and faded. It was a picture of a young woman in a fairly intricate school type uniform holding a stuffed bear, and said girl, or a remarkable facsimile appeared to be gathering herbs at the edge of his territory.

_Pamela's voice over, "This was my first meeting with the man whom would become Moka's father. I suspect Mustard in the library with the revolver."_

A relatively young looking man with white hair, red eyes, and black clothes stepped out of the carriage and approached the girl who was putting plants in a basket. "Hello miss, I was wondering if you could come with me, I have a few questions I need to ask you," he said politely, as he figured that would get him further than intimidation.

"Ummm, sure," the ghost girl replied then followed the noble looking man to the carriage.

"_The man told me that what he needed to ask me was in relation to something in his castle. One, two, three, and four puts me in the kitchen. I suspect Mr. Green with the lead pipe in the kitchen."_

As they approached the castle Pamela was impressed by the grand blue capped white castle, as well as the canyon and long drawbridge that protected it. It was nearly twenty minutes later that they finished crossing the bridge and another ten before they were at the gates to the castle. The man got out and led the way to the library. Upon arriving he went to a glass case, carefully removed an old moldy book, and carried it to a table. He gently set it down, and flipped through the pages with the utmost of care. Upon arriving at the correct page, which showed a girl that looked _exactly_ like the one in the same room as him, in the middle of a group of people, and said, "There."

Pamela floated over to the book, and caused the serious looking vampire a bit of a surprise. She looked at the book, and exclaimed, "Oh, it's a bit of the History of Al-Revis Academy. This picture was taken just before our group split up; see there are Jess, Roxis, Vayne, Flay, Anna, and myself. This page talks a bit about one of our adventures…" she stopped and sighed as she remembered the events of the past.

"_**Wait a second! This book has been in my family for nearly two thousand years, how are you able to read it when we couldn't, and what do you mean you where there?**_" the testy vampire roared, which had the effect of snapping her out of her memory induced haze. She then started with an extremely cute sad face, and began to sink through the floor. He recovered his composure when he realized the answer to one question, which handily answered the second, he then said in a gentle voice, his heart melted slightly by her face, "Sorry, you're a ghost aren't you, and you've been around since before this book was written right?"

"Yes," the ghost replied while coming back up through the floor.

"_This was our first of many meetings, during those meetings we talked about topics such as the academy, current technology, current attitudes vs. the attitude from when he was younger vs. from when I was around, art, music, and alchemy… along with many demonstrations. Then came a time seventeen years later, and I accuse Miss Scarlet in the study with the rope… NOOOO!_

A rain and mud speckled man ran up to a house in a small town during a fierce thunderstorm, leaving a bus door open. Behind the wheel of the bus was a spooky man with glowing eyes and a cigar, whom was repaying a favor to the wet man by providing fast transportation. The man pounded on what to him, was the door of his last hope. The door opened revealing a rectangle of light and a cheerful young woman, who promptly lost her cheer at the sight of the man's face and lost dignity. "What's wrong Issa?

"My wife, she's dying and the doctors say it's only a matter of time," the dirty and existed man said tiredly while sparks were flying off of him due to the rain.

"Come in and dry off for a bit, I'll collect what might be useful from my stock and brew the strongest medicines I can," the ghostly alchemist said kindly.

She took her copy of her dear old, dead friend Jess's bag, and stocked it with the best of her created medicines she then grabbed a basket of ingredients labeled elixir, a medicine, that while powerful, had a short shelf life, a shelf life measured in weeks. Paying close attention to detail, as she didn't want to disappoint her friend she quickly brewed up a dose, while muttering, "If this doesn't do it nothing will."

Twenty minutes later the potion was bottled, Stoppard, padded, and extra ingredients just in case in her bag. Coming through the wall she noticed the bedraggled man standing in almost the exact same place she had left him. "I got what I need, let's hurry," she said.

"_It was a harrowing bus ride to his castle, and for someone like me, who never road in a _normal_ modern vehicle before was quite a unique experience. Soon enough we arrived, and I had a brief flash of amusement when he tried to drag me to his wife, but that passed quickly as I got her direction from him, and started moving through the walls to her. As my method of movement was more direct I arrived far faster than he did. I saw upon my arrival a three year old child with silver hair holding a beautiful pink haired woman's hand. Now that I think of it Moka she looked almost identical to your current sealed form. It's okay Moka we can do better next game."_

"Who *sniff* you?" the child asked.

"A friend of your fathers and you must be Moka. I need to see to your mother," Pamela said with a sweet smile. She was actually quite worried about the woman on the bed who was having trouble breathing.

Moka moved out of the way and the ghost set here bag beside the bed, after a second of looking at the woman on the bed she took out the elixir just as Issa rushed in. Pamela looked toward the door and said, "Issa, hold her up and help me make her drink this. It is the most powerful medicine I know how to make."

The named vampire made his wife sit up, and massaged her throat to make her swallow while Pamela poured the elixir into her mouth. After it was gone she set the bottle aside and looked at her patent, who was already breathing easier.

Issa noticed the rapid improvement as Pamela reached into her bag and pulled out a small cauldron, after setting it on the large fireplace in the room, she carefully added water from several bottles, and several other ingredients were added, a bit in a concealed way. Twenty minutes later the ghost had bottled another elixir just in case it was needed.

"She should be fine now, but give her this when she wakes up to make sure," Pamela told the vampire, and smiled as the little girl took hold of her mother's hand again.

"Pamela, mind if we talk on the way out?" the vampire asked. Upon seeing her nod they walked toward the front door. "I was wondering, could you teach me your art?" the vampire asked seriously.

Pamela shook her head as she answered, "I have no intention of teaching anyone besides any child I might wish to adopt."

"I see," said the S class monster. "I hope you will reconsider sometime, I would love to have such a powerful and useful art in the family," he added as they approached the door.

"_He left me to walk to the bus alone so that he wouldn't end up overly weakened by going out in the pouring rain again. Then four years later after I had adopted Ranma and started to teach him alchemy I remembered his comment. Since his child was cute, and part of an obviously rich family I approached him with a offer while my new husband Roxis was out of town, and Mizore, no using your powers to create mirrors so you can cheat."_

A ghostly girl was waiting in a luxurious study for her friend to arrive. It wasn't long before he appeared though.

"Ah, Pamela, nice to see my favorite ghost again, you said in last week's letter that you had some personal news?" the normally stoic vampire said with a smile.

"Yes, I recently adopted a son, and am teaching him alchemy, and remembered how you were interested in getting it into your family. It occurred to me that this might be an opportunity for you to do so, and strengthen the bond between our families," Pamela said, thankful that she had learned some tact over the millennia.

The vampire smiled as he saw where this was heading, and nodded as he responded, "I see, you wish to engage him to my daughter? I have no problem with that, but how did you come to adopt a son suddenly?"

Pamela took the next hour describing how she had met Ranma, and the first few days with him. Issa wasn't happy about engaging his daughter to a cursed individual, but considered that it might help the boy accept his daughter when the time comes. He also suggested that the two exchange letters, so that they wouldn't be complete strangers when they met face to face. A few hours later Pamela left the house, unaware of the problems she had just caused her son.

-End flashback-

"I accuse Mr. Green who used Colonel Mustered as a weapon, in the study," Luminus announced when Pamela's story had ended. (EN1)

The rest of the group looked at the little dragon in shock as quickly checked their cards. Nobody could disprove it, so Luminus worked the cards out of the small envelope that held the solution and placed them down. The three cards were Mr. Green, Colonel Mustard, and the study. Everybody looked toward the vampire in the group and sighed. While she ducked her head in embarrassment Roxis stared to reset the game as he stared his story.

-Wavy flashback effect-

_Roxis voice over, "My story involving Ranma's engagement to Mizore starts a few months before Pamela's last part. I had heard from various sources about some rare ingredients Pamela and I were looking for in the far north, so several months after we had married to give me a legal identity, __not that I actually minded, __I set off northward to the arctic. Oh, and since I rolled a six I'll move into the kitchen and I suspect Colonial Mustered with the wrench in the kitchen._

A young man of around twenty years in alchemically created cold weather gear was walking through the deep snow of the arctic. He had a bag that contained a massive amount of supplies on his left hip, and on his right was a similar bag that had some pieces of unmelting ice, some flowers that only grew in such climates, and a few other ingredients. Unfortunately the temperature was dropping far more rapidly than he was expecting, and that, combined with the blinding blizzard he found himself in soon caused him to lose consciousness.

Twelve hours later he woke up in a room that seemed to be carved out of ice, warmed by a cheery fire. A small child was peeking through a cracked open door at the man inside. He didn't notice though as he started looking for his glasses. By the time he found them she was gone. Shortly after he found his glasses he got up and got dressed. The door soon opened all the way revealing a pretty woman with a little girl peeking out from behind her.

"Well hello, you're lucky we had a few people out yesterday, or you might've died," the woman said.

"Thank you, my name is Roxis Rosenkrantz-Ibis; may I ask what your name, as well as your child's name is?" Roxis asked politely.

"You're married?" upon seeing his nod the woman said, "Pity, but my name is, Tsurara Shirayuki, and this is my daughter Mizore."

"Thank you Tsurara-san for helping me, is there something I can do to repay you?" Roxis asked, as he never liked being in peoples debt.

Tsurara smiled at the question, and replied, "As a matter of fact there is, our oracle said that you have a son who is an heir to a powerful art. I would like to engage my daughter to him."

"_At this time I had no clue about Pamela making Moka's engagement, and upon noting that little Mizore was cute I agreed. Sorry Ranma your accusation is false, see?"_

"I agree on two conditions," Roxis said.

"And those are?" the snow woman asked curiously.

"That if they don't get along to the point it would be a happy marriage, the engagement will be ended, also that Mizore will be in contact with my son so that they could get to know each other," The bespectacled alchemist said.

"Agreed," the woman said.

-End flashback-

"And that was how I ended up engaging Ranma to you Mizore. Your mother arranged for me to get the rest of the ingredients I came for and helped me get back to the meeting place for the boat home. I also accuse Mrs. White in the library with the lead pipe," Roxis said as his story wound down.

Everybody looked at their cards and sighed. Roxis smiled, checked the solution, and set them on the table face up to prove he was right. Just then the grandfather clock on the north wall sounded.

"Well you three have school tomorrow, so I'll clean up while you get ready for bed," Roxis said as he started gathering the cards up.

"Yes dad/Mr. Ibis," the three almost chorused as they went to their rooms to do their normal nighttime routine of studying, researching, or just reading a book before bed.

Soon after Roxis had finished cleaning up he wished his wife goodnight and went to bed as he himself had a long day tomorrow.

EN1: I have had this happen.

EN2: Roxis's part is far shorter since he didn't have as much of a back-story before the engagement happened.


End file.
